I can recall Buddha saying there is real happiness in the world.
Otherwise, Nibbana is useless.
We attain Nibbana in this life itself.
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One will enter and remain in the fullness and abundance of wisdom, having realized it with one’s own insight in this very life. But such a life is suffering.’ But you should not see it like this. Corrupting qualities will be given up and cleansing qualities will grow. One will enter and remain in the fullness and abundance of wisdom, having realized it with one’s own insight in this very life. And there will be only joy and happiness, tranquility, mindfulness and awareness. Such a life is blissful.
SarathW wrote: ↑Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:58 pm
I can recall Buddha saying there is real happiness in the world.
Otherwise, Nibbana is useless.
We attain Nibbana in this life itself.
=============
One will enter and remain in the fullness and abundance of wisdom, having realized it with one’s own insight in this very life. But such a life is suffering.’ But you should not see it like this. Corrupting qualities will be given up and cleansing qualities will grow. One will enter and remain in the fullness and abundance of wisdom, having realized it with one’s own insight in this very life. And there will be only joy and happiness, tranquility, mindfulness and awareness. Such a life is blissful.
The happiness of Nibbana is not worldly happiness as i imagine it. We seem to be using the term "world" in two different contexts to mean two different things.
I remember someone on this forum posted the following by Nisargaedatta Maharaj. Even though he is not Buddhist, but i think his description is accurate.
The very desire to live is the messanger of death, as the longing to be happy is the outline of sorrow. The world is an ocean of pain and fear, of anxiety and despair. Pleasures are like the fishes, few and swift, rarely come, quickly gone. A man of low intelligence believes, against all evidence, that he is an exception and that the world owes him happiness. But the world cannot give what it does not have; unreal to the core, it is of no use for real happiness. It cannot be otherwise. We seek the real because we are unhappy with the unreal. Happiness is our real nature and we shall never rest until we find it.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"
The position we are in:
"Although humans appear to be rather low on the scale, many intelligent deities long for rebirth on the human plane. Why? Because the best opportunity to practice the Dhamma and attain liberation is right here on earth. On the lower four planes, little progress can be made as suffering is gross and unrelenting and the opportunity to perform deeds of merit is rarely gained. The very bliss of the higher planes beclouds the universal characteristics of all phenomena: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and the lack of any lasting, controlling self. And without fully comprehending these principles, there is no motivation to develop the detachment from the world that is essential to liberation."
[…]
"Human beings, devas, and brahmas are the broad categories of beings in the "happy realms of existence." The human world is marked by a pervasive admixture of happiness and suffering. This dual nature is the main reason why Buddhas are born here. The uneven quality of human life enables us to realize the unreliable nature of happiness and inspires in us a sense of urgency about the need to win deliverance from suffering."---“Teacher of the Devas”, Susan Jootla.
The point is I know when I am happy, and when I’m not I know the reason why, it’s because my mind is under the control of a defilement I am working at conquering. Happiness, sukha has a broad range, it extends from simple wellbeing to bliss. My aim is extending my wellbeing. When you understand the third noble truth, you know what stress and the cause of stress is, and you know what the absence of stress is, that’s the right kind of happiness. It’s not the happiness produced when material things go well, that’s of the flesh.
"And as I remained thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, thinking imbued with sensuality arose in me. I discerned that 'Thinking imbued with sensuality has arisen in me; and that leads to my own affliction or to the affliction of others or to the affliction of both. It obstructs discernment, promotes vexation, & does not lead to Unbinding.”—MN 19
Could members who voted that they are happy more than 75 percent tell us the secret of their happiness?
I have not met a sigle sole who is more than 75% happy.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Manopubbangama wrote: ↑Mon Feb 11, 2019 1:29 pm
Now now, my Buttercup, we shan't have any of that now, shall we?
Discussing percentages make me peevish after my morning bath.
May I suggest a jog around the block followed by an veggie smoothie, little Elf ?
.
What sayest thou, mine dearest Buttercup? I should wash it down with an utterly decadent blood pudding blended in my brown betty with some sugar and mint.
Bob’s your uncle, by Jove! Oh, for a muse of fire.
SarathW wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2017 9:11 pm
I just wonder what will be the happiness % of a person in fourth Jhana and a person experiencing depression.
If you take Arahantship to be 100%, then Non-return would be 95%, Once-return 93%, Stream-entry 90%, Cessation of perception and feeling between 95 and 100%, [the attainments by puthujjanas of:] the Dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception 88%, the Dimension of nothingness 87%, the Dimension of the infinity of consciousness 86%, the Dimension of the infinity of space 85%, the fourth jhāna 84%, the third jhāna 83%, the second jhāna 82%, and the first jhāna 80%.
Depression would be anything below 40%. 35-39% would be mild depression, 25-34% moderate depression and anything below 25% would be severe depression. Below 15%, especially below 10% you start thinking about suicide.
Sarath, I just made this up. But I thought your question deserved an answer!
Three people voted for below 15%.
We are more than happy to help if we can do anything to help them.
Please do not hesitate to come forward with your problems and seek assistance.
Even the royals going through depression. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32961
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
I feel very happy this morning. I am trying to work it out.
Is that?
- My meditation this morning
- My exercise this morning
- Vitamin D tablet I am taking
- I fast 12 hours last night. In the morning I had some sweets and a coffee
- I am going to take five days off from work
- It is sunny outside
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”